Ray Lewis Says Colin Kaepernick Not Signed by Ravens Due to Girlfriend's Tweet

Ray Lewis said Tuesday on an episode of Showtime's Inside the NFL that the Baltimore Ravens opted against signing free-agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick because his girlfriend, Nessa Diab, offended the team with a tweet, according to Bleacher Report's Doug Farrar.

The tweet Lewis referred to appears to be one that showed him hugging Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti in a way reminiscent of how Samuel L. Jackson's character in the film Django Unchained embraced a slave owner portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio.

On Aug. 2, ESPN's Dianna Russini reported Ravens head coach John Harbaugh and general manager Ozzie Newsome had endorsed signing Kaepernick, while Bisciotti was resistant to the move.

Newsome disputed that account hours later.

"We are going through a process, and we have not made a decision," Newsome said in a statement on the team's official Twitter account. "Steve Bisciotti has not told us we cannot sign Colin Kaepernick, nor has he blocked the move. Whoever is making those claims is wrong."

In July, the team was transparent about its interest in possibly upgrading at quarterback by adding Kaepernick to the fold behind banged-up starter Joe Flacco.

"We've had discussions directly with Colin," team president Dick Cass said, per the Baltimore Suns' Jeff Zrebiec. "He's committed to football. We've learned that he very much wants to play."

Bisciotti also confirmed, per Zrebiec, that he discussed potentially signing Kaepernick with Lewis, among other current and former Ravens players.

Despite the exhaustive screening process, Baltimore decided to stand pat and roll into the regular season with Ryan Mallett as its second-string solution.

Kaepernick, meanwhile, remains unsigned with the start of the regular season two days away.

However, he has received endorsements over the past week from Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers in an ESPN The Magazine feature by Mina Kimes and Carolina Panthers signal-caller Cam Newton, among others.

"Should he be on a roster? In my opinion, absolutely," Newton said at a press conference Tuesday, per NFL.com's Conor Orr. "There's no question about it. Is he good enough to be on a roster? Is he good enough to be a starting quarterback? Absolutely."